Recovery Secrets?

I love the long run. It's such a no-brainer, (relatively) low-pressure workout: just get out there and run at a comfortable pace for as long as necessary. Travel some distance, take in the sites and fresh air. Preferably with friends, although podcasts or tunes will do in a pinch. Nice weather a bonus -- not too hot, not too cold, better without snow, definitely without cold rain.

People -- veteran runner variety -- will tell you that as you get older, you need more time to recover from hard workouts, like a long run. Run six half-mile repeats on the treadmill on Monday, say, and you'll still feel them on Thursday. Go downhill skiing on a Saturday in Lake Placid, just for instance, and your quads will still be talking about it come Tuesday morning.

Now that I'm "older," which I hate to admit, the harder workouts make me more tired, which I hate to admit.

And I think that rule also applies if you are "early" in your running career. If this is your first, second, third, fourth marathon--or if you're coming back to the marathon after a year or more off--your body is still getting used to the rigors of training.

The number one best recovery "secret"? SLEEP!

David Willey, Runner's World editor-in-chief, once wrote on his Editor's Letter page that you should get an extra minute of sleep per night for every mile run. So when you're logging 35 miles per week, you should sleep 35 extra minutes per night.

Doesn't that sound heavenly?

Eating well -- good carbs, protein, and a little fat -- before and after hard efforts is pretty crucial too.

How do YOU recover from hard workouts?

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